Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife duo, in which … Read Full Bio ↴Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife duo, in which Les Paul played guitar and sang (sometimes) and Mary Ford sang and played guitar. In 1951 alone, they sold six million records.

Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss, June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009) and Mary Ford (Iris Colleen Summers, July 7, 1924 – September 30, 1977) were introduced to each other by Gene Autry in 1946 and married in 1949.
They first appeared in the pop charts in 1950. Between the years 1950 and 1954, Les Paul and Mary Ford had 16 top-ten hits. They had five top-ten hits within nine months. "Tennessee Waltz", "Mockin' Bird Hill", "How High the Moon" (#1 for nine weeks), "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" and "Whispering". From August 1952 to March 1953 they had five more top-ten hits; "My Baby's Coming Home", "Lady of Spain", "Bye Bye Blues", "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" and "Vaya Con Dios" (#1 for 11 weeks). Their 1954 version of "I'm a Fool to Care" went to #6, and was featured in a memorable Southern Comfort commercial in 2013 that got over 1 million views on YouTube.

In 2009, they were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Les Paul and Mary Ford are famous for creating a makeshift recording studio in their garage. In their garage studio, they used multitrack recording to record many of their hits including ‘Lover’, ‘Nola’, ‘Brazil’ and ‘Whispering' with only the two of them.

YouTube has a large selection of clips from their syndicated TV show "Les Paul & Mary Ford At Home" (1954-'55).

Les Paul and Mary Ford divorced acrimoniously in December 1964, which also ended the collaboration between the two.

The duo have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Les Paul had hosted a 15-minute radio program, The Les Paul Show, on NBC in 1950, featuring his trio (himself, Ford, and rhythm player Eddie Stapleton) and his electronics, recorded from their home and with gentle humour between Paul and Ford bridging musical selections, some of which had already been successful on records, some of which anticipated the couple's recordings, and many of which presented dazzling re-interpretations of such jazz and pop selections as "In the Mood," "Little Rock Getaway," "Brazil," and "Tiger Rag." Several recordings of these shows survive among old-time radio collectors today.

The show also appeared on television a few years later with the same format, but excluding the trio and retitled The Les Paul & Mary Ford Show (aka Les Paul & Mary Ford At Home) with "Vaya Con Dios" as a theme song. Sponsored by Warner Lambert's Listerine, it was widely syndicated during 1954–55 and was only five minutes long (one or two songs) on film and therefore used as a brief interlude or fill-in on programming schedules. Since Les created the entire show himself, including audio and video, he maintained the original recordings and was in the process of restoring them to up-to-date quality at the time of his death.

I'm Movin On
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

That big eight-wheeler rollin' down the track
Means your true-lovin' daddy ain't comin' back
'Cause I'm movin' on, I'll soon be gone
You were flyin' too high, for my little old sky
So I'm movin' on

That big loud whistle as it blew and blew
Said hello to the southland, we're comin' to you

When we're movin' on, oh hear my song
You had the laugh on me, so I've set you free
And I'm movin' on

Mister fireman won't you please listen to me
'Cause I got a pretty mama in Tennessee
Keep movin' me on, keep rollin' on
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll
And keep movin' me on

Mister Engineer, take that throttle in hand
This rattler's the fastest in the southern land
To keep movin' me on, keep rollin' on
You gonna ease my mind, put me there on time
And keep rollin' on

I've told you baby, from time to time
But you just wouldn't listen or pay me no mind
Now I'm movin' on, I'm rollin' on
You've broken your vow, and it's all over now
So I'm movin' on

You've switched your engine now I ain't got time
For a triflin' woman on my main line
Cause I'm movin on, you done your daddy wrong
I warned you twice, now you can settle the price
'Cause I'm movin on

But someday baby when you've had your play
You're gonna want your daddy but your daddy will say
Keep movin' on, you stayed away too long

I'm through with you, too bad you're blue
Keep movin' on

Overall Meaning

Les Paul & Mary Ford's song "I'm Movin' On" is a classic country tune that tells the story of a man who decides to leave his cheating partner and move on with his life. From the very first line, the song creates a sense of urgency and desperation, with the eight-wheeler truck symbolizing the man's need to leave in order to feel free again. The train imagery continues throughout the song, with the whistle blowing as a sign that the man is finally headed towards a new beginning. As the song progresses, the man speaks directly to various people on the train, asking the fireman to keep shoveling coal to keep moving ahead and the engineer to take control and get him where he needs to go. The chorus repeats the phrase "keep movin' on" as a reminder to himself and his listeners that even though it can be hard to leave the past behind, it's important to keep moving forward.

The lyrics are full of emotion and pain, yet the music itself is upbeat and catchy, with Les Paul's signature guitar playing shining over Mary Ford's strong vocals. Part of the reason the song has stood the test of time is likely due to the universal feeling of wanting to escape a difficult situation and start over fresh. The song is also notable for its interesting use of train sounds throughout, creating a sense of motion and momentum that matches the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

That big eight-wheeler rollin' down the track
The train passing by signifies that the loyal father figure in one's life has left and is unlikely to return.

'Cause I'm movin' on, I'll soon be gone
One is moving on from a romantic relationship after realizing their partner's expectations were too high and the relationship has no future.

You were flyin' too high, for my little old sky
The partner had unrealistic demands and expectations that could not be met by the singer.

That big loud whistle as it blew and blew
The train whistle announced the arrival of the train to southern land.

Said hello to the southland, we're comin' to you
The artist announces their arrival to the southland and starts a new chapter in their life.

When we're movin' on, oh hear my song
The singer is moving on and wants to convey this message through this song.

You had the laugh on me, so I’ve set you free
The partner made a fool out of the singer and hence they are breaking up and moving on.

Mister fireman won't you please listen to me
The artist requests the fireman to hear them out and explains their situation.

'Cause I got a pretty mama in Tennessee
The artist has a beautiful lover in Tennessee who they want to get to.

Keep movin' me on, keep rollin' on
The artist wants the train to keep moving and take them to their destination.

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll
The train is powered by coal and the singer wants them to keep adding coal to keep the train moving.

And keep movin' me on
The artist reiterates that they want to reach their destination and the train should keep moving.

Mister Engineer, take that throttle in hand
The singer addresses the engineer and asks them to increase the speed by taking the throttle in their hand.

This rattler's the fastest in the southern land
The singer is on the fastest train in the southern land.

You gonna ease my mind, put me there on time
The singer wants the train to reach their destination on time and relieve their stress.

And keep rollin' on
The artist wants the train to keep moving and reach their destination.

I've told you baby, from time to time
The artist has communicated to their partner about their unrealistic expectations in the past.

But you just wouldn't listen or pay me no mind
The partner didn't heed the singer's warnings and continued with their unrealistic expectations.

Now I'm movin' on, I'm rollin' on
The singer is moving on from the relationship and setting themselves free.

You've broken your vow, and it's all over now
The partner has broken their promise, indicating the relationship is over.

You've switched your engine now I ain't got time
The partner has moved on with someone else and hence the artist has no time for a disloyal partner.

For a triflin' woman on my main line
There is no time for a woman on the main line who is not loyal.

'Cause I'm movin' on, you done your daddy wrong
The singer is moving on because their partner has betrayed them.

I warned you twice, now you can settle the price
The artist had already warned the partner twice, and now they will have to bear the consequences.

But someday baby when you've had your play
The singer acknowledges that their partner might realize their mistake after playing around.

You're gonna want your daddy but your daddy will say
The partner might regret breaking up with the singer, but the singer will not take them back.

Keep movin' on, you stayed away too long
The singer is done with the partner and wants them to keep moving on because they took too long to realize their mistake.

I'm through with you, too bad you're blue
The artist has moved on and is done with the partner, who is now regretful about their actions.

Keep movin' on
The artist reiterates their desire to move on and keep progressing in life.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGE BERNHARDT, MATT SCOTT BISSONETTE, DOUG R. BOSSI, JORGE M. PALACIOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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